xxii, 188 pages : 24 cm

This volume offers a survey about what is known about the Ancient Egyptians' vision of the afterlife and an examination of these beliefs that were written down in books that were later discovered in royal tombs. The contents of the texts range from the collection of spells in the Book of the Dead, which was intended to offer practical assistance on the journey to the afterlife, to the detailed accounts of the hereafter provided in the Books of the Netherworld. The author looks closely at these latter works, while summarizing the contents of the Book of the Dead and other widely studied examples of the genre. For each composition, he discusses the history of its ancient transmission and its decipherment in modern times, supplying bibliographic information for any text editions. He also seeks to determine whether this literature as a whole presents a monolithic conception of the afterlife. The volume features many drawings from the books themselves

Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-182) and index

The pyramid texts -- The coffin texts -- The book of the dead -- The books of breathing -- The new kingdom books of the netherworld: general; the amduat; the spell of the twelve caves; the book of gates; the enigmatic book of the netherworld; the book of caverns; the book of the earth; miscellaneous scenes -- The books of the sky: the book of nut; the book of the day; the book of the night -- Special compositions: the litany of re; the book of the heavenly cow; the book of traversing eternity

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